A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Holdings Reduced by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 13.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,404 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,139 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,806,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of A. O. Smith stock traded up $0.22 during trading on Friday, reaching $66.22. The company had a trading volume of 1,719,948 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,454,528. The company has a market cap of $9.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.17. The firm's fifty day moving average is $69.10 and its 200-day moving average is $75.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.55. A. O. Smith Co. has a fifty-two week low of $64.55 and a fifty-two week high of $92.44.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. On average, analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.05%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.47%.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $27,507.35. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at $180,471.85. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $67,356.90. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. DA Davidson lowered shares of A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, A. O. Smith currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $80.86.

A. O. Smith Profile

A. O. Smith Corporation manufactures and markets residential and commercial gas and electric water heaters, boilers, heat pumps, tanks, and water treatment products in North America, China, Europe, and India. The company offers water heaters for residences, restaurants, hotels, office buildings, laundries, car washes, and small businesses; boilers for hospitals, schools, hotels, and other large commercial buildings, as well as homes, apartments, and condominiums; and water treatment products comprising point-of-entry water softeners, well water solutions, and whole-home water filtration products, and point-of-use carbon and reverse osmosis products for residences, restaurants, hotels, and offices.